Origami

Thank you to those who came out to our first Origami meeting! There’s a good variation of techniques for the bunny, crane, and samurai hat that we folded together. I’ll go over each of the projects now!

For the inflatable bunny, it starts off with a waterbomb base. If you want to know more about origami bases, please refer to my post from last year! Just remember that this base folds back against the horizontal or vertical of the paper. Also, this project is a variation off of the origami balloon. If you want to learn to fold that, the previous post that I linked has instructions for that, too!

The crane is a classic in origami (they’re basically the unofficial representing symbol)! Personally, I don’t really think it’s the easiest project to begin with, but it’s really fun to learn regardless. This origami is started with square base (but turns into a bird base later!) which means the paper folds back against the diagonals of the paper.

In my previous post, I talked about how we should appreciate the people in our lives. So… how about throwing a party? (≧◡≦) It would be so fun to celebrate Valentine’s day with everyone. To help with all this, I’ve compiled projects to aid in invitations and decoration.

First of all, you have to make the invitations. A very easy heart can be folded to decorate these two projects that I found. This is the same heart used on the bear tutorial from my previous post. If you haven’t looked at that, here’s a link to an easy heart. I recommend gluing down the final flaps of the heart so that they don’t stick out.

Cute Invitations

Pretty Invitations

After inviting people, we should decorate! Let’s make lucky hearts. If you’ve ever made a lucky star out of a strip of paper, this heart is a similar concept. You’re going to need a pair of scissors to round the corners. They would look adorable all grouped together like a jar of stars, but they would also look fantastic on a garland. You just need to use bigger strips of paper.

Finally, everyone’s favorite— food!! Let’s make these geometric candy containers. They can be used to hold different candies and snacks such as candy hearts, M&M’s, and so on. Also, they’re cute favorite party favors.

Doesn’t throwing a party sound so fun~ ♪☆＼(^０^＼) ♪(／^-^)／☆♪ Seriously, it’d be exciting to have a get together with close friends and family. I hope you all try these projects whether you make it for an event or not. Thanks for reading! ^-^

It’s already February, and that means Valentines Day! >u< A lot of people seem to focus on the boyfriend/girlfriend aspect. Personally, I take this holiday as a day to appreciate all your loved ones— parents, friends, and significant others. Of course, that doesn’t mean having a sweetheart hurts. ^O^

The first project of this Valentine’s compilation is an origami heart with a tie. It’s not overly complicated, but does include a couple squash folds that may be difficult if you’re not used to them. This would be perfect for any man in your life or even a professional, working woman.

You know what else you see a lot of during this season? Stuff animals! Teddy bears are so cute, so why not fold one, too? This design is kind of two projects together. Both the bear and heart are not too hard, so don’t worry. They look adorable together, and would be great for anyone from friends to family.

Finally… a Kawasaki rose. Among the multitudes of rose diagrams, this one is very famous. Not going to lie, it is hard to learn. The base folds are not too terrible, but the assembly can be a little confusing. I think the video does an excellent job of explaining the mechanics of it. Give it a try! They look amazing when they’re done, and your recipient will definitely appreciate the effort.

Try to make something this year and express your appreciation towards the important people in your life. Make Valentine’s a day to give thanks and show your love to everyone. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have fun! ^-^

It’s the start of a new year, and wouldn’t it be so fun to send someone a hand-written letter? It can be an exciting greeting for the beginning of 2017. My post today is about letter folds. These are folded papers with messages written on the inside. Remember when you were little and tried to pass notes in class? It’s similar to that! >u<

As I have just mentioned note passing, let’s start with that. The first project I compiled is literally a junior high folded note with a pull tab. It may be a little childish, but they bring back fun memories. And if you’ve never sent one, hey, I don’t personally think it’s too late to start. As written notes are sort of a dying culture, it’d be very meaningful to just send one as an appreciation compliment.

The second project is just as easy, but I personally think this design is a bit classier. This bamboo folded note is super adorable and it would be super fun to send notes. One important aspect you may consider is how difficult the note is to refold. If this is going to be passed back and forth, maybe the design should be easier, so that your recipient can return it in the manner it was sent.

Finally, this final leaf design is pretty fancy. It’s a little harder than the previous two, but it looks gorgeous. I wouldn’t really suggest sending to spark a conversation. This project is more for a serious written letter and such. The instructions for this project are not in English, but no fears, because the pictures are pretty self-explanatory.

It’s January and the start of a new semester, is anyone excited? >____< Getting back into a productive work ethic is difficult especially with this dreary weather so far. When I typically think of a January in winter, I think of snow; therefore, I compiled a list of snowflake origami for this post! Here’s a picture of snow in Japan to start us off:

The first project is something I’ve been making since I was a kid. They’re so easy to learn, but this is more of a kirigami project. There are plenty of designs to be made if you look around. Usually, I just cut out random shapes and patterns, though. It always turns out look pretty and unique. It’s almost impossible to mess up on this project. Instructions are given if you follow the link from the photo caption.

The second project is just as easy. This one is just a little more arts and crafts. It’s a really simple modular/kirigami piece that just takes some measuring and cutting. Putting the six pieces together forms a really fantastic, grand structure that would be great as a hanging decoration. The instructions from the following site are very easy to follow to create this beautiful snowflake.

Finally, this last project is a big jump in level. It’s not easy like the two projects from before, but it’s not too hard either! The first step would be to make a hexagon. You can make one out of a square piece of origami paper from these instructions. Afterwards, you fold it into a snowflake from the design of Dennis Walker. As you can see, using translucent paper gives a really ethereal effect. In the link, there is a simple video to follow how to fold this amazing piece.

Hope you all enjoyed this snowflake compilation and that you make one of them for decoration. They’re super pretty when compile together and maybe they’ll brighten the mood for winter. Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone~^-^

Isn’t there something about stars that just fit the cold weather of winter? Maybe it’s because of the holidays? Personally, I love the scene of white snow and a starry sky. Here’s one by Takeshi.K to set the mood of this post:

Let’s start off with the most popular design around— the lucky star. It’s made out of a strip of paper that you fold around itself to make a puffy, 3D figure. Back when I didn’t have strips of paper, I would measure out 15 cm x 15 cm origami paper into 1 cm strips and cut them myself. They’re so cute to put into ball ornaments or into jars for decoration. Major tip for this project is to avoid harsh creases especially at the beginning. Doing this will make it difficult shape the star at the end. This video tutorial is from Paper Kawaii, and the visual is from Origami Resource Center.

The next two projects require pentagonal bases, but don’t worry, they’ll show you how in the videos and diagram. This star is a great project for beginning pentagonal origami because it has a lot of repetitive steps. You can also adjust if you want the flaps to be loose, thus making it three dimensional; or to push them down, and have a flat star. The tutorial for this project is from Homemade Gifts Made Easy. There is a video and visuals!

Pentagonal Star

The last design is a star bowl, and it’s very easy to make, so no worries! >u< It would be great for little candies/snacks or storing hair ties/bobby pins. You could also make a cover for it and it can be a star box. And obviously, it can be very pretty decorations. Design for this figure comes from Paper Kawaii.

Star Bowl

That’s all for today! Most of the time, if you’re folding stars, you’ll be starting from a pentagonal base due to the clear reason that stars have five sides (unless it’s modular whereas that is out of my area of expertise >___<). It’s a good base to know to fold and it’s not to hard. Hope everyone likes the projects and best of luck! ^-^

November 11th is origami day in Japan. This is an unofficial holiday where the paper crane is a well known symbol for peace. In honor of this holiday, today’s post will be about the story of Sadako and her 1000 cranes.

Sadako and the 1000 cranes is renowned in Japan and the crane is one of the most well known pieces of origami. Sadako was a young girl when the atom bomb of World War II was dropped. She developed leukemia from the radiation and was admitted into the hospital. To pass the time, she would fold cranes everyday hoping that her wish would come true. The belief is that one thousand cranes would grant one the creator one wish, thus hers was to get better and live.

She died on October 25, 1955 having completed over 1300 cranes. Her brother, Masahiro Sasaki, have donated some of them to various locations around the world— 9/11 memorial; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and so on. After her death, Sadako’s friends and schoolmate raised a statue in her honor for the other children who passed away as a result of the war. At the base of the statue, it states: This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world.

For Origami Day, try to fold something new! Or you can try folding the symbol of peace, a crane. Like always, I’m including a visual instructions, and a video. Thanks for reading and best of luck to everyone!!

I know it’s late, but there are still some leaves left on the trees! Kinda. Today’s post is going to be about the leaves we folded on club day. We folded two different types of leaves—maple and simple. I’m also going to be adding an extra one, but this one involves some cutting.

The first project was a maple leaf folded from a bird base. It’s not very hard to fold as long as you keep your folds as precise as possible. My stylistic choice is to fold the sides in at the end, otherwise the stem may look too chubby. The tutorial for this leaf comes from Origami Tutorial.

Origami Maple Leaf

Second item we folded was a simple leaf. This project is honestly quite easy to fold. If you remember folding fans as a child, it is basically the same repetitive motions as that. Since there are not many complex folds, this leaf can turn out quite large, so I would suggest cutting the paper down. The tutorial is from Origami Instructions.

Simple Leaf

Finally, the final maple leaf project is kirigami, so it involves scissors. The folding for this is also quite simple. When cutting the final structure, try to make narrow semicircles as it’ll look more like a maple leaf. This tutorial is from Sakura Tanaka.

Kirigami Maple Leaf

The compilation this month are on the easier side, but they’re still super fun to try out. Try making a colleciton of falling leaves. Best of luck and thanks for reading! ^-^

The easiest one would have to be a jumping frog. I used to make these all the time as a kid. This project is actually made out of a rectangular piece of paper. Therefore, you can either fold a square piece in half, or use half the sheet. The online instructions may be a little confusing, so I’m also linking a video from Proud Paper Official.

The bunny is a little bit harder than the frog. Personally, I find the diagram for this one to be a difficult to interpret, so I think this video from Origami How To is very helpful. This figure begins with a bird base most commonly seen in cranes. If you don’t remember how to fold one, I recommend watching the video.

The final figure I have for today is the elephant. It does take a little bit of time to fold, and the folds are not traditionally basic. You’ll understand what I mean when you watch the video. But, other than that, it really is quite an fun project and the elephant is so cute.

Hopefully everyone tries at least one of these out. Have fun and good luck! ^__^

Happy Halloween!!! I know it’s a bit early for celebrations, but the origami meeting for this month was Saturday, October 15th. That’s plenty of time to practice the ghost I taught. I would consider the level of this on the easier side, and it’s super fun because you can draw whatever face you want on it. Will yours be friendly or scary?

I had two other projects planned, but we didn’t get to them due to time constraints. The jack-o-lantern is about the same level of the ghost. Plus, you get to practice making the square base for this one! Like carving a pumpkin, you can add whatever face you want onto this. If you want a normal pumpkin, I would suggest making a stem and gluing it onto the back.

Finally, I saved the bat for last. It may be a little confusing at first, but I would rank this project as intermediate. This project is not composed of one of the basic folds, so that might throw you off a bit at first. The video is very easy to follow, though! For the eyes, I used my hole puncher to create white circles to glue on.

That’s all I have for today! To the right is an example of all the origami I have introduced today. I used them to decorate my dorm room door. Hope you are all inspired to fold Halloween origami this year. Good luck everyone!